GS Renovation carries out structural alterations throughout Shoreditch, from forming new openings in E2 warehouse conversions to replacing tired joists in new-build apartments near Victoria Park. With 30+ years in Hackney, we build supported openings to the engineer's design, replacement joists and beam works to a structural engineer's calculations and see them through Hackney Council building control.
Structural alterations for Shoreditch apartments
Alterations in Shoreditch rarely mean underpinning or foundation work, because so much of the stock sits in converted warehouses and modern riverside blocks where the ground floor structure belongs to the freeholder and the block as a whole. What homeowners here usually need is a new opening between rooms, a wider doorway through a masonry core, or replacement joists where an old warehouse floor has been over-notched or has begun to sag.
Every one of these is a job for a structural engineer first. We commission calculations that size the steel or timber, specify the padstones a beam bears onto, and set out the temporary propping needed while we work. Only then do we cut, prop and install in a controlled sequence, so the loads above are transferred cleanly onto the new support with nothing left to chance.
Consents and building control in E2
Because these flats are leasehold, structural alterations trigger your lease covenants. The freeholder's licence to alter must be in place before we start, and where the block is professionally managed we coordinate with the managing agent over method statements, protection and working hours. We supply the engineer's drawings that the freeholder's surveyor relies on, so consent is granted on solid technical grounds rather than delayed by missing information.
The work itself is notifiable under the Building Regulations, so Hackney Council's building control inspects the propping, the beam and its bearings before sign-off; internal alterations like these do not need planning permission unless your building is listed or in a conservation area and the exterior is affected. We manage the inspections and the certification so your completed alteration is fully documented for the lease and any future sale.
- Party Wall Act 1996 notices, awards and schedules of condition
- Basement and cellar alterations with retaining support
- Building control applications and completion certification
- Wall plate, joist hanger and restraint strap installation
- New door and window openings in solid masonry
Why Choose GS Renovation in Shoreditch
GS Renovation is the single point of accountability for structural alterations in Shoreditch. We commission the engineer, obtain the freeholder's licence to alter, coordinate the managing agent and clear every Hackney building control inspection. Temporary propping is done properly, steel and joists installed to spec, common parts protected, and your E2 flat kept tidy, backed by 30+ years.
- Free follow-up visit after completion if anything needs attention
- Underpinning carried out in sequenced bays, never one long trench
- Itemised pricing, so you can see what every stage costs
- Registered in England, Companies House no. 14611254
- One point of contact on the phone, not a call centre
- The engineer's calculations obtained and worked to on site